The Economist

Design choices can be shadowy in some lights and reasonable in others. Some forms of manipulation are part and parcel of commerce. But bosses should be wary

A well-intentioned policy change has added to other stiff challenges faced by India’s microlenders. But the biggest strain is economic

What is going wrong for the king of athleisure?

In orchestras, everyone has a place. Third trumpet, second violin, concertmaster. Your place determines not just where you sit, but your social standing. It’s a hierarchy honed over centuries in order to achieve excellence. But perfection comes at a cost. Today, on The Weekend Intelligence from The Economist, I explore how institutional systems make harassment predictable and accountability difficult, and ask, is the orchestral world ready to change? — Thank you to the many musicians who shared their stories with me. Many of them do not appear in the podcast but provided valuable insight into the world of orchestras. It was a pleasure working with producer extraordinaire Sam Westran on this story that is close to home. It is also my first time presenting a documentary. I do hope you give it a listen. https://lnkd.in/ehmbQDHV

France’s political struggle says something about the country’s leadership. But it also speaks to weaknesses in the constitution itself econ.st/48Aicuc Illustration: Peter Schrank

The armoured brigade, which will number 5,000 by 2027, is Germany’s first permanent deployment abroad since the second world war

Blast walls, drone fences and special combat units are on the way

After the covid-19 pandemic, luxury fashion houses tried to exploit the rush of “revenge spending” by lifting prices. Fancy hotels are now trying something similar

When historical revisionism in Japan rises, contemporary relations with South Korea and China, both victims of Japanese imperialism, tend to suffer

Middle managers never have it easy. In the popular mind they personify corporate bloat. But lately they have had an especially hard time